There has always been a strong connection between the Irish people and Liverpool Football Club.

From Steve Finnan to Steve Staunton and beyond, there has often been an Irish presence at the club.

Even with the increasing globalisation of the Premier League, there are still young Irish players coming through the ranks at Anfield and one such man is Caoimhin Kelleher.

The youngster caught the attention of fans around the world as he was handed his first tastes of first-team action this summer, featuring for the Reds against Blackburn, Manchester City and Manchester United.

And he has since been named in Liverpool's Champions League squad to face Red Star Belgrade.

But who is he? And what can Liverpool - and Ireland - fans expect of him in the coming season?

Who is he?

At just 19-years-old, Kelleher has a bright future ahead of him as he is already forcing his way into first-team contention.

The Corkman has already begun to make a name for himself at underage grades and is an Irish international at U19 level.

Kelleher has been thrown into the spotlight after lining out for Liverpool in a number of pre-season friendlies.

When did he join Liverpool?

Although he is only beginning to catch the attention of Liverpool fans, Kelleher actually arrived on Merseyside in 2015, joining from Ringmahon Rangers.

In his second season at the club, Kelleher gained some unwanted attention when he was sidelined after an insect bite became infected.

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"It’s a strange one," Michael Beale, then manager of the Under-23s, told the Liverpool Echo.

"He had like an abscess on his shin, he just got an infection from a bite.

"It’s nothing major, it just kept him out of the next few days. We thought it would go like a normal bite, unfortunately the flies over at Kirkby must be a bit stronger than the rest of the country!

"He’s just had a reaction to something, nothing major."

What does Klopp think of him?

Jurgen Klopp appears to have faith in the young Irishman as he threw him in at the deep end during pre-season.

The 19-year-old was called upon to play a full half against both Manchester clubs, conceding just one goal between the two appearances.

Klopp even name-checked Kelleher earlier this year when dismissing rumours that the Reds could make an approach for out-of-favour Man City shot-stopper Joe Hart.

"We have the young ones, they make big steps, really big steps, Caoimhin and Kamil [Grabara], that’s really good," he said.

What can we expect this season?

If Kelleher does not force his way into the first team this season, he will once again play with the Liverpool U23s team in the Premier League 2.

The departure of Danny Ward to Leicester in a £12.5m deal has opened the door for Kelleher to claim a spot as the top 'keeper for the U23s if he cannot make the jump to the first team.

Polish 'keeper Kamil Grabara will also be hoping to get some game-time this season and is on a similar level to Kelleher in his development at the moment.

What does the future hold?

With the arrival of Alisson from Roma in a world-record deal for a goalkeeper, it is unlikely that we will be seeing Kelleher starting week-in, week-out at Anfield but there could still be opportunities for him.

Simon Mignolet is expected to leave the club this summer while No.2 Loris Karius could still be on the move if the right deal comes along.